


Starting My Prophecy

by KouRei (ShinkengerRedBlue)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-24 07:20:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6145915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShinkengerRedBlue/pseuds/KouRei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a girl from Earth and Adrien Agreste, a prince from the Nespar Kingdom, are the chosen warriors to defeat Hawkmoth, an ancient evil. The only problem? They don't know they're the chosen ones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Our Beginning

When Antoine Agreste had been a boy, he had dreams of being a knight and working his way up into being a king and creating the perfect kingdom. He loved the idea of having tournaments and having a beautiful queen. So when he told his parents he wanted to be a king, they played along and told him that he would have to save a lot of money to become a king. They would never know how far those words would take Antoine. And so with those words in mind, Antoine began to save all his money. He saved all the allowance he got from his parents, the money he got from doing good work around the village and the money he found on the floor around the village. He put all his money in small pouches and buried them under his bed. He wasn't going to let anyone steal from him, not even his parents. So as the months went by, the amount of money Antoine saved grew.

But even though Antoine was saving money, he had no idea on how becoming a king. He learned some things from listening to the stories he mother told him at night but he didn't know how to do anything else. To be honest, he wanted to learn a lot for a 9 year old boy but his parents tried to help their boy as much as they could. They tried buying books on etiquette and manners, getting him little jobs that would help him learn many skills and lastly buying him maps for future trips they knew he would make. And they watched as Antoine grew into a cultured and handsome man.

Then on his 16th birthday, Antoine met the love of his life, Maria. He almost couldn't think of words to describe her. Hair like sunshine, eyes like onyx and skin so fair. She was everything he wanted: Kind, adventurous and most of all, brave. Antoine had met her when the village had the annual festival for celebrating the harvest of their best crops. Antoine had helped his parents with their food stand, where they sold sweet bread covered in delicious jam, when he had seen Maria. She had been talking with a group of other girls, when he had heard her laugh. Her laugh was like a harp, soft and delightful. Her laugh had attracted Antoine and other boys if he was being honest. But he had looked at his parents and they just laughed and waved him off, giving him some bread to give her. He had gone up to her and had given her the bread, watching her try it. Her face had shown surprise and delight, making his heart thump loudly. He ignored the stares of everyone else as he politely asked her to dance.

That night had been amazing for both of them. Antoine couldn't believe he even met Maria that night, even the fact she had liked him back, was amazing. And from there on, he and Maria spent a lot of time with each other, getting to know each other. Antoine got to learn that Maria was kind and adventurous while Maria got to learn Antoine was gentle but brave. They were a match in heaven and Antoine knew that the first time she had laughed at one of his jokes. So the first chance he got, he took a bit of his savings and bought a simple but gorgeous ring. He knew she wasn't ready for marriage and he still needed to save more money so he put the ring away, planning to use it (hopefully) in a year.

Maria learned very quickly that Antoine really wanted to be a king. She had to admit that it was a big dream but if anyone could do it, it would be him and she wanted to support him the entire way. Maria wanted to help Antoine so she watched her father run his business, learning how to run a business. Now running a business wasn't the same as running a kingdom but at least it was something. With Maria learning from her father and Antoine saving money, it seemed like everything was going well. Until the day Antoine's parents died.

Antoine had been having lunch with Maria when they heard screams and yells. They looked at each other and went to go see what was happening when Antoine saw his home on fire. He had sprung into action and ran to the nearest well, grabbing a bucket and tried to put out the fire. Antoine wasn't worried about his money or the ring, they were buried underground so hopefully they were found. But the problem was that Antoine didn't know where his parents were. He knew that they were suppose to go shopping for food but as he briefly looked around to see if they were out safe, he couldn't see them.. Once the fire was out and all that was left was a scorched house, Antoine ignored everyone and ran inside, hoping he wouldn't see his parents. But as he went inside his parent's room, his heart sunk.

There on there bed were two figures, holding each other. Antoine knew that his parents had probably been sleeping when the house had been caught on fire and they never had a chance. Antoine looked at his parents and held back the tears, wishing he could go back in time and save them. Antoine made up his mind and moved to his room, moving debris around until he could dig up the wedding ring he bought. He rushed back outside and saw that everyone was watching him. He ignored them and their looks of pity, moving towards Maria and her father, who had arrived when he had rushed inside.

He turned to Maria, shaking his head and frowning deeply. She gasped and hugged him, crying for the both of them. The crowd turned somber as they learned Antoine's parents were dead. Antoine reined in his emotions and turned to Maria's father,

“Sir, I'm in love with Maria and I want to be with her forever. Do I have your permission to marry her?”

Maria's father was surprised, “Boy! Are you not sad that your parents died not moments ago?!”

Antoine nodded, “I am very sad sir, my parents were amazing people. This situation made me realize that time is short and I want to live the rest of my life with Maria. I have savings and plans for the future so do you give me your blessings?”

Maria's father nodded and Antoine turned to Maria and went down on one knee,

“Maria my dear, You are my life. I want to spent my entire life with you and grow old together. I want us to have many fun memories together. So My Queen, will you marry me?”

Maria held her breath and sobbed, throwing her arms around him, “I will My King!”

The crowd cheered as Maria accepted Antoine's proposal, not knowing that there was a young man in the crowd that wasn't as happy as everyone else.

After Maria accepted his proposal, Antoine made many arrangements, such as digging up all his money and making sure it was all ok. He sold the little land his parents had to their name and with Maria's dowry, they had a beautifully simple wedding with the whole village in attendance. Antoine packed up everything he could salvage from his home and with Maria's belongings, they left the village. They were going to start anew.

Antoine remembered all the maps his parents bought him and kinda knew where he wanted to build his kingdom. He kept a lookout for mountains, knowing there was a big valley that was unclaimed that he would claim for himself next to it. It was going to be hard but he knew it would be worth it. They traveled for weeks, going through villages and making a name for themselves. The rumor went around that a young man was going to start a new kingdom, making many laugh but many people did want to start over in a new place.  
Then Antoine found the valley he wanted. It was everything he wanted, luscious and beautiful. He could see the future castle and surrounding houses that would come. So with the mountains to the left and a large forest to the right, Antoine and Maria began to build. They sketched out the castle and the houses on paper, making note of rivers and of the mountains. They knew that if they hired labor, they would run out of money soon, so they cut trees and prepare the grounds themselves. It took months to cut down all the trees they needed, get rid of the weeds and calculate what they would need to spend to start building.

What Antoine and Maria didn't know, was that others would come to see if the rumors were true. To see if some young man was really going to try and build a kingdom. Strangers got to see Antoine (Age 20) and Maria (Age 19), working as hard as they could and some people decided that they wanted to join in helping. Suddenly there were as many as a couple hundred people, working to make Antoine's dream come true.

If you were watching from the sky, you would see that over the next couple of years, a kingdom did arise from nothing. A castle, big and white and tall, surrounded by a village that would be ruled with a gentle fist. Maria designed the Agreste family crest and with the knowledge of running a business, helped the village around the castle boom with business. The kingdom instantly had loyal people, people who had helped build the kingdom. The farmers had plenty of land next to the mountains, fertile for crops. Merchants help make trips to other villages and were able to get goods from other places. Antoine had saved so much money that he was able to use some to make the economy work. Antoine's dreams had finally come true. Sure there were some issues here and there but with his knowledge and Maria's, they were able to work out everything. The Nespar Kingdom had finally arrived.

Then, when Antoine turned 32, Maria gave birth to twin baby boys. One had beautiful raven hair and soft green eyes, the splitting image of Antoine, who they named Rafael. The other baby boy had blonde hair and dark eyes, the splitting image of Maria, who they named Franco. Both boys were feisty and were loved by the whole kingdom. They were sweet and kind but at times, very mischievous. Antoine was so happy: he had his kingdom, his beautiful queen and now, two gorgeous children. Everything was going good until the fires started.

The news that was going around, was that the nearby villages were being set on fire. Everyone in Nespar started to gossip,

Were they going to be next?

What was going on?

The Nespar Kingdom didn't really have an army but with the whispers that the kingdom could be next, Antoine started recruiting instructors to teach how to fight and gathered willing volunteers. Once there was an announcement that the kingdom had an army, the villagers felt better. What nobody knew, was that the fires around the Nespar Kingdom were just child's play and that the real target was said kingdom.

When the twins turned one, the fires came out of nowhere. The houses started to burn and there were screams coming from everybody. Nobody knew who was attacking the kingdom. There weren't strangers attacking villagers or any armies invading. Just one moment there was peace and happiness and before anyone knew it, everything was on fire. The army was put into action, trying to put stuff out with water, helping others in need.  
Everything seemed to pause for a moment as the ground shook strongly, everyone turning to the castle. There was a big hole, smoke coming out of it and chunks of stone falling to the ground. Nobody could see Antoine rushing his family into the secret passageway he created in times of need. Nobody could see the flying man chasing after them, full of anger.

Antoine looked to his wife and bit his lip, he needed to make sure Rafael and Franco got out safe. He wanted Maria to take care of them if he died on action. He took Maria into his arms, ignoring her handmaids (who had their babies) and kissed her.

“My dear, you need to escape and make sure our babies are safe. I love you so much.”

Maria sobbed, “Please don't do this! I need you. We need you.”

Antoine brushed her hair out of her hair and kissed her forehead, “You know I have to stay. Go to the cottage and stay there.”

Maria nodded and left Antoine, not looking back. She knew if she looked back, she would have stayed.

Antoine stood his ground, holding a sword he kinda knew how to use. He was ready to put his life on the line for his family. He had so many questions but they all disappeared when he saw the man who had been chasing them. Antoine couldn't believe his eyes because the man was flying towards him, face contorted in anger. Was this magic? The man had dark brown hair and pale skin, eyes a dark brown. He was dressed like a villager and he was very plain to look at. Was he a magician like in the stories his mother told me because he didn't look like one.

The man stopped flying and landed on his feet, swirling black tendrils were coming off him. He pointed to Antoine and yelled at him,

“Where is Maria?”

Antoine frowned, “Who are you and why do you want Maria?”

The man glared at him, “I'm Hawkmoth, ruler of the Akuna Kingdom. I wish to have Maria to be my queen.”

Antoine held his sword out, “Maria is my queen and I won't let you have her!”

Hawkmoth bared his teeth and shot out a wave of inky blackness at Antoine, who jumped out of the way before charging at Hawkmoth. Hawkmoth held out his hand and caught Antoine's sword, taking it from him and breaking it in half. He grabbed Antoine by the collar and started to drag him in the direction Maria and the kids had gone.

“Poor Antoine. He's going to watch me obtain a queen for my kingdom.”

Antoine tried to pull himself away but the grip on his shirt was too strong. Hawkmoth was dragging him too fast for him to plant his feet on the ground. Antoine thrust his fist into Hawkmoth's crotch and when the grip on his shirt loosened, Antoine pulled away and kicked Hawkmoth in the stomach. He didn't bother to see if Hawkmoth was in pain, he just started running to where he hoped Maria had escaped.

Hawkmoth watched as Antoine ran away from him. He straightened his back, his crotch and stomach slightly aching. He hadn't expected Antoine to fight back but this would make things much more fun. Hawkmoth followed him at slower pace, letting Antoine think that he had injured him. He started to hum as he looked around the secret tunnel. He wondered where it would lead him, hopefully to Maria.

Oh Maria...Hawkmoth finally reached Antoine who had caught up with Maria. He waited as the baby boys were sent off in a carriage with Maria's handmaids before destroying the other carriage meant for Antoine and Maria. He smirked as they faced him, determined to stop him. He sent a beam of darkness at Antoine, sending him into a wall. He watched Maria run to Antoine, turning to face Hawkmoth.

“Who are you and what do you what?”

Hawkmoth's eyes narrowed, “Oh? Don't you recognize me?”

Maria looked confused as she looked at his face, not recognizing him at all. “No. Should I?”

Hawkmoth shook his head, subtly ignoring the whispers in his mind to kill her. “Maybe you'll remember me now.”

His hands swirled around each other, a bright purple light emitting from them until a beautiful rose appeared from his hands. He took the rose and threw it at her, “Do you remember now My Butterfly?”

Maria gasped, her hands going up to her mouth. “Sebastian?”

Hawkmoth growled at her, “I'm Hawkmoth now.”

Maria felt Antoine stir under hands. She needed to distract Hawkmoth. “What happened to you? You were such a nice boy, with a great future.”

Hawkmoth tilted his head at her, “Oh it's such a long tale and I don't know if I feel like telling you. You can't imagine the anguish I have felt.”

Maria kept her mouth shut, hoping Hawkmoth would ramble. Hawkmoth made a fist at her,

“You were the love of my life and yet you chose this pathetic man. I lost everything after you left; my job, my family and most of all, you. I left the village, wandering the forest. I was so lost without you. But then I found this cave and it spoke to me.”

Hawkmoth let out a burst of energy out, making Maria flinch.

“The cave gave me so much power, only wanting one thing in return. I don't know what a Miraculous is but with all this power, getting it should be easy. Now I have my own kingdom and my own loyal subjects. All it's missing is you!”

He focused his eyes on Maria, “So once I finish here, I'll go and find the Miraculous and we'll be so happy together. I'll make you my queen and we'll rule together and we can get rid of Antoine and live happily ever after.”

Maria shivered, Sebastian had been such a kind boy. Maria had always felt bad for rejecting Sebastian, she hated breaking someone's heart but at the time she had been so in love with Antoine, that she hadn't really cared. She tried looking around for anything she could use against him but they were trapped. At least her babies had escaped safely. Too bad she couldn't use the other carriage as a weapon but Hawkmoth had destroyed any useful part of it. What could she do?

Antoine opened his eyes, having heard the entire thing. This was all happening because some boy couldn't keep his life together after some girl dumped him? Antoine could feel his anger go through the roof. He struggled to get up but he finally managed with Maria's help. He looked into Hawkmoth's eyes and spit towards him.

“She'll never go with you! You're such a coward, running away from your problems like a child!”

Hawkmoth snarled, “We'll see once I get rid of you.”

Hawkmoth moved towards them, a ball of swirling darkness pooling in his right hand. He pushed Maria out of the way with a flick of his head and smirked, “Say goodbye Antoine, I'll take very good care of her.”

He raised his hand and Antoine closed his eyes.

One second went by.

Two seconds.

Three.

Antoine heard a gurgling sound and he snapped his eyes open. There in front of him was Maria, a hand impaling her chest. Antoine felt all the blood leave him,

“No...No......MARIA!”

The hand impaling her slipped out and she fell to the floor. Antoine looked at Hawkmoth before going to Maria. Hawkmoth looked devastated, not really looking at Maria but instead looking at the blood on his hand.

Antoine felt the tears running down his face as he held Maria's hand,

“Please my dear. Wake up. I can't live without you.”

Maria cupped his cheek, “Don't worry, we'll see each other soon.”

Maria could feel the life slipping away from her and she cried. How were her babies going to grow up without her? How could she leave Antoine along with this maniac? Her eyes closed and she prayed as hard as she could with the last of her strength.

_Please save Antoine! Please save everyone! Help them!_

Antoine pulled Maria in for one last kiss, one to last for the days to come where he was alone without her. As he pulled away, he whispered in her ear.

“I love you.”

And with that, Maria stopped breathing in his arms. He put her down softly and looked at Hawkmoth. He stood up and held his fists out, ready to fight.

Hawkmoth looked at Antoine and he shook himself out of the depressing thoughts he had.

“You! She died because she had to save you!” Hawkmoth started to shake, that same swirling energy started to come off him. “Well it will be all in vain because you're next!”

Antoine stood his ground and waited but suddenly everything seemed to stop. Bright lights started to appear, small in size but many in amount. They started to circle Antoine and he started to feel better. One light, red and so beautiful came to land on his nose.

_Don't worry. We'll help you._

Antoine smiled in awe, “But what are you?”

_We are the sprites of the goddess Tikki. She heard the prayers of your wife and has granted us the power to help you._

Antoine gasped and nodded. He then noticed there were large shadows coming out of the walls and panicked.

“What are those?”

_Do not be frightened. They come from the god Plagg as he also heard the prayers of your wife. He wants to secretly impress our goddess Tikki but he means well._

Antoine shook his head but said nothing. He would accept any kind of help that came. He watched as the shadows attacked Hawkmoth, throwing him around like a simple ball. They avoided the energy blasts Hawkmoth threw at them. The little bright lights, that when Antoine looked closer were actually little ladybugs, threw themselves at Hawkmoth. They seemed to hurt him more than the shadows did as stem started to come off Hawkmoth.

Hawkmoth dropped to one knee and tried to destroy the little ladybugs but nothing seemed to work. Antoine watched as the shadows and ladybugs combined into two human like shapes before pouncing onto Hawkmoth. Antoine had to hold his hands to his ears in order to cover up the inhuman screams coming from Hawkmoth. He looked at Hawkmoth. Burnt, bleeding and weak, such a picture would be in Antoine's mind forever.

Hawkmoth threw an arm out, pushing the humanoid shapes away from him. He used the blood dripping from his side to draw a weird looking butterfly on the floor. It glowed bright purple before turning black. Hawkmoth looked to Antoine,

“This won't be the last you see me.”

Hawkmoth pressed his hand to the butterfly and disappeared in a swirl of black ink. Antoine watched as the human like shapes went back into shadows and ladybugs. The shadows and ladybugs seemed to communicate with each other as the shadows suddenly left and the red ladybug came to talk to him again.

“Will he actually come back?”

_Yes. But not for a long time. You will be long gone from this world._

“But what will happen then?”

_Do not worry young king, our goddess Tikki has already set into motion the events that will lead to Hawkmoth's destruction._

“What do I have to do?”

The ladybug grew brighter and then suddenly a book and ring fell into Antoine's hands.

_Keep this book safe. It will appear to the chosen when they need it the most. Take the ring and have it pass down the generations. Teach your children the importance of this ring and raise them well._

Antoine looked at the ring before slipping it on. He turned back to the ladybug and smiled,

“I will do my best. Give my thanks to your goddess and the other god as well.”

The ladybug went back to the other ladybugs and they disappeared in a flash of bright light.

Antoine took one look at Maria before taking a deep breath and leaving the secret tunnel. He went into his throne room, gasping at the sight. Everything had been fixed. Every broken chair and table that been caused by Hawkmoth's entrance, had been repaired. Antoine quickly left his castle and saw that all the houses were repaired as well. It was like all the fires didn't happen.

He went back to his throne room and gathered his board of advisers, telling them the entire story of what happened. They couldn't believe what happened but at the mention of their dead queen, they couldn't stop crying. Antoine quickly arranged for a funeral for Maria and allowed their villagers their days of mourning.

He, on the other hand, sent word for his sons to be returned and made arrangements for who would succeed him. He arranged for the kingdom's historian to have the whole account of the story to be written for many to read. He wrote to other kingdoms, asking for any kind of literature that dealt with magic. He didn't care if others thought magic wasn't real, he had seen it for himself. He was going to get all he could so that his sons and future generations could be prepared. He started to research into what was the Akuna kingdom, hoping to get information.

Antoine set in motion the events that would hopefully lead to the defeat of Hawkmoth but he could only do so much. He prayed that who was chosen to defeat Hawkmoth would be strong and fearless.

If only he could see into the future.


	2. Camping Fun

Mondays were always a strange day for Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Everyone around her hated Mondays since they had to go back to school and actually do homework. But for Marinette, Mondays were somewhat fun for her, like the Monday she won Jagged Stone concert tickets or the other Monday she had gotten first place in a designer contest. Mondays were just a great day for her. This particular Monday, however, was different.

Last week, the class had decided that since they were getting out of school for summer, they would do something fun as a class. The choices had ranged from going to concert together (rejected because Chloe couldn't get her way into getting the class into going to a Pretty Pinks concert) to having a dance (rejected because they couldn't get the auditorium in time). But then came the idea of a camping trip. Now normally everyone would reject going camping due to nature but when Chloe made the suggestion that they go camping one day and then go spend a week at her parent's resort, well nobody could resist the temptation of a Bourgeois resort. Alya then sweetened the deal by saying they could rough it while camping and tell scary stories then have a sweet drink by the pool the next day. Chloe had smirked as everyone said her idea had been great.

So Marinette, as class president, had been in charge of research and making sure that everyone took their permission slips home and got them signed as well as getting permission from the principal. And with a special permission, they were allowed to go without their teacher. If Marinette was being honest, they certainly didn't need an adult when Chloe could simply call her father in 2 second and the principal seemed to agree. Chloe made the arrangements with her father and then on Friday, everything was ready. They were to leave on Monday, quickly make tents and enjoy camping and then from Tuesday to Sunday, they would have fun at the Bourgeois resort, complimentary of Chloe's father (who certainly had more than enough money to spend on his daughter and her friends).

So Marinette personally felt like she really needed to be prepared to go camping, even if it was for one day. So she had went ahead and bought a camping backpack, making sure she could pack a lot in it. She went ahead and packed a first aid kit, some snacks, some extra clothes just in case her luggage went missing and a couple other things that would make sense when someone went camping. In her luggage (she only had one suitcase), she made sure she packed everything she would need like a lot of underwear and clothes she could really have fun in.

So when Monday came around, at 8 am, everyone gathered around in front of their school. They stood around, waiting for the luxury bus Chloe had asked her father for. Marinette made sure she had everything with her as she chatted with Alya. Alya waved her hands around,

“I can't wait to use a jacuzzi! We should get all the girls and we should have a girls night.”

Marinette smiled, “With face masks and yummy snacks.”

Alya nodded, “And we can talk about boys.”

Marinette smirked, “You mean get advice about Nino?”

Alya gave her a look, making Marinette laugh. “Sure sure, laugh about me but I think I see Nathanael watching you with some love eyes.”

Marinette blushed, “You need to stop. He's cute but I don't know if I like him that way.”

Alya pursed her lips and was about to tease her some more but the bus they were waiting for finally came.

Everyone stored their luggage and then boarded the bus. Marinette, Alya, Nathanael and Nino sat on the right, near the snack bar. Ivan, Mylene, Alix and Rose sat in the back and Kim, Max and Chloe sat near the drinks. Lastly Juleka and Sabrina sat near Marinette, next to the mini stereo. Everyone's face had big grins as Juleka 'accidentally' slipped and turned up the music and Chloe 'accidentally' turned on the bubble machine, making a mini party in the bus.

Alya turned to Nino and smirked,

“Come on, you must have a mix cd we can listen to.”

Nino shook his head,

“Come on. Don't you know me by now?” He held up a black case and opened it, pulling out a cd and handing it to Juleka and suddenly the bus was bumping with a remix that Nino made. Marinette smiled as she saw everyone having fun, shaking her head to the music. Marinette wondered what songs were in the mix when she felt everything slow down, everyone moving really slow. She shook her head and blinked a couple of times but the sensation didn't leave her. She turned to Alya and tried shaking her shoulder but she gasped as her hand went through Alya's shoulder. She looked at her hand and watched it flicker. Alya went from the gray color she had turned when Marinette had touched her, back to her normal color.

Panicked, she turned to Nathanael but as her hand touched his shoulder, everything went back to normal. Nathanael blushed as he felt Marinette's hand on him, slightly confused.

“D-D-do you need anything?”

Marinette's pulled her hand back, shaking her head.

“Nah, I'm good.”

She turned back to Alya, who rose her eyebrow but Marinette shook her head and Alya dropped it, going back to talking to Nino about capturing a bear on camera. Marinette sighed, what just happened to her? Was she getting car sick? She knew she grew out of being car sick when she was about 8 but you never know. She bit her lip, she didn't bring any motion sickness pills at all. She decided to just drink a little water and see if it did her any good.

She asked Max to pass her a water bottle and she sipped it slowly, noticing that it did help settle her stomach a bit. She sighed in relief and passed the bottle to Alya, who chugged it with Nino's chants of 'Go! Go! Go!'. He was such a great influence on her. Marinette shook her head and pulled out her sketchbook, determined to finish some designed on the bus ride to the hotel. Marinette looked at the half finished design of summer dress and pouted, she just needed a little boost in inspiration. And like that, three hours passed.

When they finished reached the hotel, to drop off the luggage they didn't need while camping, Chloe went ahead and had someone prepare a lunch for them to eat when camping and other small essentials, like matches and some extra water. Chloe had let them have fun choosing where everyone slept as she already had her own suite. Marinette and Alya were in room 1, Juleka and Rose were in room 2, Mylene and Alix and Sabrina were in room 3. Nathanael and Ivan were in room 5, Nino, Max and Kim were in room 6, with Chloe in her room of lucky 7.

Once they were settled in and everyone stored their luggage away, they gathered down in the lobby and Marinette passed out little booklets. She held it up, ready to give a little talk to everyone.

“Ok guys, the camp site we are going to is called Bird Forest. Yes I know it's a simple name and yes, it's because of all the birds they have. Now the rules are: One, we have to clean up any mess we make. Two, we can't feed wildlife, don't feed anything guys. And lastly, if someone gets hurt, just shoot up a flare and we'll come and get you. Now here are the flares.”

Alya passed out the flares and gave everyone a thumbs up before Marinette nodded, “Now let's go have fun!”

Marinette pointed two fingers to their bus and everyone climbed back on, talking about what they would do first. Personally Marinette would love to get a fire started and eat some smores. She sighed, if only she had someone to cuddle up to, blanket wrapped around their shoulders. She put her hands on her cheeks and sighed, how romantic.

Marinette felt someone nudge her side and saw that it was Rose. She smiled and leaned her head to show she was listening. Rose smiled widely and winked,

“Who are you thinking about? You look very happy.”

Marinette sighed, “Nobody, I'm just imagining romantic fire cuddles with my imaginary boyfriend.”

Rose giggled, “I was like that when I was single. Romantic cuddles by the fire do sound cute.”

Marinette smiled, “Are you and Juleka going to snuggle? Or go exploring in the woods?”

Rose shrugged her shoulders, “Probably go exploring, that's all Juleka could think about this morning. She really wants to find more spiders for her collection on her wall.”

Marinette shivered, “Ugh spiders. I'm surprised you're not afraid of spiders.”

“Spiders are only afraid of you if you are disturbing them. It's like dealing with Chloe. If you don't provoke her, she doesn't bite.”

Marinette laughed, that did sound very true of their resident queen bee. “Yeah true. I'm just ready to sleep under the stars?”

Rose grinned, “I know huh? Don't tell anyone but I heard that Kim might try and confess again to Chloe.”

Marinette winced, “Again? But she rejected him the last four times. What makes this time special?”

Rose looked around before leaning in, “I head from Max that Kim spent all of his allowance on that new perfume by Giovanni and that he had Giovanni sign it herself.”

Marinette's eyes widened, “How did he do that?”

“Apparently through a cousin and a couple bottles of booze.”

Marinette had to give it to Kim. He had been in love with Chloe for years and every year, Chloe rejected him. But even Marinette could see Chloe slowly breaking down with Kim's sweetness and looks. She hoped it worked out for them.

“Well I hope she accepts this time.”

Rose smirked, “There's a betting pool of when she accepts, want in?”

Marinette eyed Rose before slapping a five in her hand, “I bet five that she'll accept on the last day of this trip.”

Rose smiled, “You're the only one that thinks that. Everyone else has their bet for somewhere in the middle of the week. Well everyone but me of course. I agree with you.”

Marinette high fived Rose and Rose turned to talk to Sabrina. Marinette, on the other hand, could feel a little bit of that 'motion sickness' from earlier come back and drank a little more water. It did the trick and Marinette smiled, water was so versatile.

Marinette felt the bus stop and looked outside, seeing all the trees and grass made her excited. She never got to go out when she was in China and now was her chance to experience camping. She wanted to explore, take pictures of all the cool birds, see the beautiful flowers and most of all, have fun with her friends. Everyone got off the bus, looking around at the camping grounds they had reserved. A nice clear valley for them to camp in, a running stream a couple of feet away and plenty of forest to explore. Marinette took over and pointed to where everyone could set up their tents and went ahead and assigned everyone jobs.

She pointed to the boys, “You guys go ahead and get us firewood. A lot of it.”

Marinette pointed to Alya and Chloe, “Go ahead and make make sure the food is safe. We don't need bears coming to harass us for food.”

“And everyone else will set up tents. Break!”

Marinette watched everyone start moving before going to help Sabrina pitch a tent. Surprisingly it was hard. Marinette almost couldn't figure out which pole went where but Sabrina helped her learn. It was a great bonding experience since she and Sabrina usually didn't hang out much. She smiled and left Sabrina to her own devices as she took the foldable table they brought and opened it up. She went ahead and while Chloe and Alya were tying up food and putting it high, she grabbed the food that they got for lunch. She opened the basket and gasped, inside was a variety of foods. She pulled out a savory ham, a couple of side dishes, a gorgeous looking cake and even a couple of sodas. Everything smelled delicious.

She grabbed the paper plates and napkins, making the whole table look like a buffet. She put the drinks and cups to the end of the table and made sure they had enough forks. She looked up to see the guys finally return with the firewood. She put her fingers to her mouth and whistled, “Food is ready!”

  
She quickly moved away from the table, watching the stampede of hungry teenagers get their food. Marinette, on the other hand, went ahead and stacked the firewood to make their fire. She stuffed newspaper under the wood and squirted some lighter fluid on the paper. She gathered rocks and surrounded the wood, making sure everything was stable. She glanced at everyone, waiting until they all got their food before lighting the fire and going to get food herself.

The fire crackled and shone bright, looking so cool. Alya took out her phone and took pictures of it, exclaiming on how Marinette did such a good job of it. Marinette rolled her eyes in laughter and grabbed a paper plate, filling it with a bit of everything, She sat down next to Nino and listened to what Mylene was talking about.

“I heard that the camping ground next to us is haunted, isn't that right Marinette?”

Marinette looked up from her food, blinking before swallowing her food and nodding.

“Yeah, the site is called Lone Wolf. I heard that a couple of girls were murdered there and that the guy who did it, went missing. Ever since then, people always go missing and never come back.”

Nino shivered, “Dude that's rough. They never found the guy?”

Marinette smirked, “If by rough, you mean weird sure. I don't think so.”

Rose cuddled up to Juleka, “That's terrible.” Juleka nodded and wrapped her arm around Rose.

Chloe brandished her fork at Marinette, “I bet that guy is still roaming around.”

Marinette shrugged, “I don't know. It was years ago.”

Alix jumped in, “He's probably dead, eating by the animals around here.”

“Maybe but let's talk about something different. Who wants to go on a little hike?”

Chloe pursed her lips, “A hike? At this time”

“Chloe it's only noon. It's a great time to go on a hike.”

“It's a great time to get a tan is what you mean. I'll stay.”

Marinette nodded and turned to everyone else. “Raise your hand if you want to go.”

Everyone but Kim wanted to go. Marinette and Alya gave him a look that had him blushing but he kept his decision to stay. Marinette chuckled and watched Chloe blush subtly, she hoped Chloe wouldn't turn him down.

“Well if that's everyone, let's get going. Chloe, Kim if something happens, shoot a flare.”

Kim nodded and Chloe waved her hand in agreement before digging in her purse for some suntan lotion. Marinette shook her head and smiled, Chloe never changed. She grabbed a small bag and filled it with water and a first aid kit. She hesitated for a moment but then grabbed her flare gun, hoping she wouldn't have to use it. She slipped on her backpack and joined the others. She took a look back at Kim and gave him a thumbs up, getting a blush and a nod in return. He was too cute.

The gang walked for a couple of minutes before reaching a fork in the road. Marinette pointed to the left one, “This is the trail that will supposedly lead us to a little valley with lots of flowers. They call the valley Fleurs Vallèe. The one to our right leads to a large lake. Which do you guys want to travel?”

Juleka pointed to the left and Rose nodded, “I think flowers would be beautiful!”

Everyone nodded and Marinette grinned, “To the flowers it is!”

The trail wasn't too exciting. Sure there were plenty of birds but the trees all started to blend together. Marinette watched Nathanael draw a pretty blue bird, marveling at how pretty he drew. She turned to Alya and found her recording Juleka taking a spider and putting it into a jar. Marinette grimaced and kept walking. She looked to the back to see Ivan, Mylene and Sabrina debating over something. She could only hear words like 'cheese' and 'singer' and she decided that she didn't want to know. Max and Alix were arguing about great video games. Max thought that strategy games were the best while Alix thought fighter games were the best. Personally Marinette liked both but Role Playing games had a special spot in her heart but she didn't feel like joining their conversation. Marinette turned to Nino and found him watching Alya with a big smile. She rose her eyebrow and nudged Nino, flicking her head towards Alya when he turned towards her, her eyes talking to him,

'If you don't go talk to her, I'll embarrass you'

Nino sighed, Marinette was so evil and yet, such a big helper when giving someone courage. He made his way to Alya, trying to think of stuff to say. He froze for a moment when Alya turned to him with a big smile,

“Did you see the spider Juleka got? Big wasn't it?”

Nino nodded even though he hadn't seen the spider. “Yeah pretty big.”

Alya pointed to another spider, “Juleka! Come and look at this one! Nino isn't this one cool?”

Nino glanced at Alya, “Yeah cool.”

Marinette rolled her eyes but moved on from Nino. She looked at the trail markers and found that they were only 15 minutes from the valley. She checked to see if everyone was still on the trail before she motioned that they should keep moving. Marinette started humming and looked to the sky, wishing there was a bit of a breeze. She could feel some sweat dripping down her face and wiped it off with her arm. As she took out her water bottle and took a sip, a small thought passed through her mind. She had been drinking a lot of water and she totally pack any toilet paper. She wondered if anyone did. Well it was going to be funny when someone would need to go, especially when they just finished eating.

The group passed the last trail marker and there they stood at the beginning of the flower valley, in amazement. There had to be dozens of flowers of all shapes and colors. Marinette took in a deep breath and fell in love with the soft scents of the flowers. She waded through the flowers carefully and found a nice place to sit, folding her legs under her and resting her back against a tree. Such heaven this was.

She watched everyone do their own thing. Nino played soft music for everyone to listen to, a nice melody that screamed relaxation. Rose and Juleka sat in a patch of daises, making little flower crowns and putting them on everyone. Nathanael was sketching a group of lilies and subtly sketching Marinette when no one was looking. Sabrina had brought a small book and was pressing flowers into it. Marinette wished she had thought of the idea, she would love some flowers to show to her parents. She saw Alix pick a nice looking purple flower and put it in her hair, posing for Mylene and Ivan. Marinette giggle, Alix looked so cute. Lastly Marinette watched Max pick a flower, having his usually look of thinking. She wondered what he was contemplating but she didn't bother asking. She knew he would talk her ear off if she asked.

Marinette sighed as the sun hit her face, warming it a bit too much. She felt herself getting hotter, like if she had a sun burn. She coughed and closed her eyes, suddenly feeling drowsy. What was happening to her? She drank more of her water but it only stopped the heat a little. She wished she had some ice cream and was about to ask Alya if she had anything that would calm the heat when it all suddenly went away. She instantly felt cooler, almost chilly as goosebumps showed on her arm. She rubbed her arms to warm them up and after a couple of minutes, it worked.

She licked her lips and wondered if she could be getting sick. She didn't bring any medicine with her but she would ask Alya later if she had any. But for now, she turned to the flowers, she was going to join Juleka and Rose in making flower crowns.


	3. Meeting For Peace

Adrien strived to be the perfect son for his father. It was only nature to try and make his father proud but when your father was king, it was sometimes hard to do. Currently he was stuck in a small predicament. Adrien had stayed up studying the history of the kingdom, not something he did on a daily basis but last night he had an itch to read it. He had dismissed his servant and promised he would wake up in time to go and greet some big dignitary that his father was currently trying to make peace negotiations with. In all honestly, Adrien wasn't the bit interested but as prince, he had to listen to all the information and watch how his father handled things. Adrien thought his father handled problems and situations in the kingdom a bit to coldly but his solutions always seemed like they were the right choice in the end.

Adrien really loved his father, even looked up to him. But sometimes he wondered if mother was here, would things change? Adrien had been a small baby when his mother disappeared. He hadn't known why and his father had forbid anyone from talking about it but Adrien desperately wanted to know what happened to his mother. Adrien shook his head, pushing all his bad thoughts out. He was going to be late if he didn't hurry up. He was going to have to skip breakfast, which made him frown. He loved eating and breakfast was always his favorite time to eat.

Adrien shrugged on his cape, making sure it was the right color before rushing out of his room. He ignored the looks from all the servants and slowed down when he reached the throne room, opening the doors with style and poise. He was right on time. The guest hadn't arrived yet so Adrien moved to his chair and greeted his father,

“Good morning Father.”

Gabriel Agreste looked at his child with a subtle smirk on his face before he took a sip of his wine. 

“Good morning Adrien, you're late.”

Adrien's grin dropped and he looked at the sun, “But you told me when the sun is barely peeking out of the clouds.”

Gabriel rose his eyebrow, “Yes I did, which means you need to be awake and ready before then. Do better next time Adrien.”

Adrien sighed, “Yes Father. When is the dignitary from kingdom Blarr coming in?”

Gabriel rubbed his temples, “They sent a falcon earlier. They won't be here until the afternoon due to a landslide near the mountains.”

Adrien nodded, “What are my duties for today father?”

Gabriel nudged for a servant to bring Adrien a scroll. To be honest, it was a smaller list than what his father usually gave him. 

“I want you to show Lord Toben the kingdom after the peace meeting. Make sure you switch out your cape for a silver lined one. I know the cape you're wearing now, the black and purple one, is the correct one but I want you to wear the silver and black cape. I also want you to watch out for his daughter, Fer. I've heard that her eyes wander in unappealing ways.”

Adrien nodded, “Yes father. Polite but cold. Just like always.”

Gabriel gave his son a weak smile and waved his hand, having another servant bring a plate that Adrien hadn't seen. It was filled with lots of bread, meat and cheese. A simple meal but his father always simple in private.

“Eat and go train until Lord Toben comes.”

Adrien rubbed his head, his father had known he had skipped breakfast in order to meet Lord Toben. He smiled and loaded a slice of bread with some meat and a small piece of cheese. His eyes closed as he ate, enjoying the food. The meat had been smoked and the cheese was very fresh. The bread wasn't too hot as it slightly melted the cheese. In all, a perfect meal. He quickly finished his meal, bidding his father a simple goodbye and left. 

He made his way to the weapons room, wondering where his servant, Felix, was. He liked to talk to Felix about anything, especially food. Felix was a bit of a cold person but when he got to talking, he was smart and cultured and sometimes Adrien wondered why he was serving Adrien at times. He saw Felix waiting for him at the entrance to the weapons room and he chuckled. He waved his arm at Felix and watched Felix roll his eyes at him and open the door for Adrien. 

“You know you don't have to do that Felix. I can open the door for myself.”

Felix waited until Adrien passed through the door and went in himself before speaking. 

“And if I want to keep my job and not be reassigned, you shush.”

Adrien laughed, “Ok ok. What weapon should I train today?”

Felix brought Adrien a javelin, “You practiced with swords yesterday and axes the day before. Today will be javelin.”

Adrien whined, “I hate using a javelin. I can never throw it far and Theo teases me when I try.”

Felix held out the javelin with a bored face one, “You are a prince, he isn't. You must train in all weapons in case something happens. He is only good with a javelin.”

Adrien's mind lifted with those words and he accepted the javelin. “Thanks Felix.”

Felix shook his head, “It's nothing for my prince.”

Adrien rolled his eyes but he waited until Felix opened the door for him and he made his way to the training grounds, a place he loved and hated at the same time. Adrien loved to go to the training grounds, it was a place he could focus and think while practicing his skills. He was a great multi-tasker, such as practicing a speech while working on his aim with a bow and arrow. Today he would work on throwing his javelin. Last time he had only made it 5 feet, something that one of the other guards, Theo, made fun of him for. Adrien, this time, was aiming for at least 8 today. 

Adrien turned to Felix, “Make sure that you keep track of time. I have to go and greet Lord Toben and his daughter Fer in the afternoon.”

Felix nodded and made his way to the sidelines as Adrien finally reached the training grounds. There wasn't anyone around for now, which made Adrien frown. There would usually be, at least, 3 people training. But then Adrien made the connection, Lord Toben was suppose to come in so all the guards were getting some extra orders and were being stationed for maximum protection. Adrien smirked as he threw his javelin and hit the target, 10 feet away. It looked like he would get a quiet morning to train. 

And boy was it quiet. Adrien found that his thoughts were almost too loud for him. He kept thinking about what he had read last night. Usually he didn't find the history of the kingdom interesting but one passage had him thinking. It had been about his ancestor and he had defended the country from some evil creature but what had gotten to Adrien, was the fact that magic had been involved. Adrien knew that magic really wasn't something that was practiced in the kingdom much. He knew his father didn't like it much since he thought that was why his mother disappeared. Adrien was glad that he didn't ban the use of magic, he knew that magic users provided a lot of their crops. Adrien wished he could learn magic, it seemed so cool. Then maybe he could help his father find his mother. Oh how he missed her....

Adrien was pulled away from his thoughts when he heard Felix call out.

“It's almost time for you to meet Lord Toben. You still need to wash up sir.”

Adrien sighed, he hated meeting nobles. They always tried to suck up and offer up their daughter to his father. Thank god his father hated that sort of thing. Adrien handed Felix his javelin and went back inside the castle, making his way to the right wing, where his room was. He went inside to find that a bath was already drawn for him. He shed his clothes and briefly touched the water, almost too hot, just the way he liked it. He got in and his muscles loosened up right away. He hummed as he waved Felix away, determined to scrub himself clean. His shampoo smelled like ripe strawberries as he lathered his hair, humming a tune he had heard from the servants. Once Adrien felt like he was clean enough, he rose out of the bath and accepted the towel Felix had. He looked at the formal clothes on his bed and grimaced, time to play prince. 

He shrugged on his clothes, mindful to change out his cape just like father wanted. He looked at the sun before taking a deep breath. He left his room, going back to the throne room. He made his way to his father and sat down on the seat to the right of his father's throne. He watched as everyone finished up the preparations for Lord Toben and his daughter, the guards ready to accept them. 

Adrien sat up as he heard the trumpets play outside the throne room, designed to announce any royalty into the throne room. The doors opened and a man, big and burly, made his way down the red carpet towards the middle of the room. Adrien sized Lord Toben: thick red hair making its way down his face, stopping at his shoulders. His eyes, a dark brown, looked wild to Adrien. He shivered, Lord Toben looked the part of a noble...his daughter on the other hand, didn't. Her short red hair did nothing to shape her face. It only made it look chunky and fat. Adrien winced as her eyes looked over Adrien in hunger, her nasty red lips licking as if she was going to eat him. Adrien hoped he didn't have to talk to her. He felt someone behind him and turned to see that it was Felix, hiding in the shadows in case something happened. 

Gabriel Agreste looked at Lord Toben (and his daughter) with a empty stare before greeting them. “Greeting Lord Toben. We are very glad to have you here today. I hope your trip was safe and without danger?”

Lord Toben nodded, “It was King Gabriel. Everything was smooth until a landslide forced us to go around it.”

Gabriel nodded, “Of course. You must be very tired, Nami will show you to your rooms and you can freshen up until the peace negotiations tomorrow. I have also instructed Elyan to show your guards to their quarters as well. Tonight we will have a feast in your name.”

Lord Toben nodded, “Thank you King Gabriel for your hospitality.” He bowed, giving his daughter a look before she bowed as well. 

Adrien stopped paying attention as his father and Lord Toben exchanged small talk. He watched as Lord Toben's daughter started coming his way, no doubt to try and flirt with him. He just hated the way she walked, putting more emphasis on her nonexistent hips. Her green dress was a hideous pale green that made her pale skin look even worse. She gave him a saucy grin, which sent shivers down his spine. She finally stood in front of him and curtsied, trying to push her cleavage in his face. Adrien stepped back subtly and nodded, 

“Hello Lady Fer, how are you this day? I am glad to see our fathers doing business.”

Nice and cold and polite but unfortunately, it seemed to do the opposite. Her eyes lit up and her screechy voice came out.

“Yes, father almost didn't bring me but I was able to persuade him that it was more beneficial to bring me along as you know, I am the best mapper in our kingdom, taught only by the best of course.”

Adrien held down his biting comments about her ability as a mapper. 

“I'm sure father will like to hear your comments on the peace treaty.”

Fer stepped closer to him and batted her eyes at him, “I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you give me a little peek at the treaty, maybe in your chambers for some privacy?”

Adrien gave his father a side glance, sighing in relief when Adrien saw that he was subtly watching them, ready to interfere. Adrien straightened up, ready to reject and put Lady Fer in her place.

“I'm sorry Lady Fer. Father is not allowing anyone to look at the peace treaty until it's time. I am also not allowed to bring any females into my chambers until I turn of age. Now I am sure that you are tired and I have to make sure my guards are ready for your tour of the kingdom after the meeting. Good afternoon Lady Fer.”

Adrien nodded to his father, who nodded back. Adrien turned to Lord Toben.

“I must attend to my guards. I hope you have a wonderful rest.”

Lord Toben smiled, “Thanks you Prince Adrien.”

With Felix behind him, Adrien left the throne room, smirking from the look of disappointment on Lady Fer's face. Adrien waited until he and Felix were alone before he broke down. 

“Oh my heavens she was forward.”

Adrien heard Felix snort, “Forward? More like dying to get into your pants, Prince.”

Adrien made a noise of disgust, making Felix smile. “Thank god my father warned me that she was...”

“A whore?”

Adrien turned to Felix, eyes wide, “Felix! You know I don't like that word.”

Felix chuckled, “Yes yes but you can't deny she wasn't subtly about going into your chambers.”

Adrien ran his hand down his face, “I wonder if her father knows she gets around.”

Felix shrugged, “I can only imagine. But anyways the guard to the kingdom visit should be sharpening their weapons now. They've had their inspections and now it's just to wait and make sure everything is prepared. Brace yourself, Theo is on guard detail.”

Adrien frowned, “Wasn't he supposed to be patrolling the forests?”

“Yes but Sir Maven became sick and Theo is the next best at ranged attacks.”

Adrien sighed, today was just fun wasn't it? He waited for Felix to open the door before going inside the weapons room. He watched as his guards and some of his personal knights, were sharpening their tools. He coughed to get their attention, smiling when they quickly gave him their focus. He sighed, ready to warn them of the feminine danger ahead. 

“Lord Toben and his daughter are being escorted to their rooms, where Chris and Fernan are guarding them until the meeting. I am only going to say this once: do not talk to Lady Fer at all. If she addresses you, answer the bare minimum. She is the type that um...”

Adrien looked to Felix, who smirked and took over for Adrien.

“She sleeps around.”

Adrien coughed into his hand, “Right and Father ha already warned me about her ways and now I'm doing the same. Do not make trouble and do not invite it either. Cold but polite.”

Tom, one of the guards, spoke up.

“And if she tries to do something?”

Adrien frowned, “Report to me immediately. I want you all in pairs, so she doesn't catch anyone alone. If she or Lord Toben need anything, have another guard pass alone the message and someone will bring it to you, most likely Marissa since she won't put up with anything. But I want nobody alone. I will have Felix with me as well as two other guards. Four of you will be guarding Lord Toben, four for Lady Fer and the rest will guarding our perimeter. Understood?”

Everyone nodded but as Adrien was about to leave, someone spoke up.

“Is she that bad?”

Adrien turned to Theo, pursing his lips. “Off the record, she sends shivers up my spine and tried to get into my chambers and a look at the treaty. Do not treat her with carelessness.”

Theo sighed, unable to tease Adrien when he was in his Prince mode. “Yes Prince Adrien.”

And with that Adrien was satisfied and left the weapons room. He turned to Felix and shook his head.

“Now to wait until the meeting starts. I just hope nothing goes wrong.”


	4. Chapter 4: Confusing Dreams

Once everybody had fun with the flowers, Juleka finding little spiders to take home, Marinette went ahead and gathered everyone up into a circle. She pulled out her map and showed everyone where they were.

“So we are here.” Marinette pointed to the flower valley. “And if we go a little bit east, we can go to that lake I was talking about. Who wants to go? Or do you guys want to go back to the campsite, it's only..” Marinette's checked her phone, “2:48.”

Alya raised her hand, excited. “Let's go to the lake! We can totally dip our feet in the water and get some amazing selfies.”

Marinette turned to the rest of the group. “I packed extra towels if someone didn't bring their own but I only brought 2 to share right now.”

Alix wrapped her arms around Nino and Max, “Let's go. I want to see how long I can hold my breath underwater. Too bad Kim didn't come or I would wipe the floor with him.”

Nino smirked, “Yeah but we all know what Kim's doing right now and I pray for that boy everyday he tries.”

Rose chuckled, “Oh leave him alone. He's in love and remember, nobody can interfere because of the bet.”

“Oh yeah I forgot about that. Do you think Chloe finally accepted when we left?”

Marinette hummed, “I honestly don't know. I would love to see Kim's happy face but then again, Chloe's mind is an interesting thing.”

Everyone nodded and Marinette smiled, “So it's decided? We're going to the lake? I also brought lotion in case someone wants to get a tan and of course bug spray.”

Alya cheered and whipped her finger into the air, “Let's go. Last one there is a rotten grape!”

The teens all jumped up and started racing before Marinette took a look at the map and yelled at them, “Wrong way! Head to your right!” And watched them stop and immediately change course. She smiled and looked at Juleka, the only one who hadn't moved. 

“What's up?”

Juleka looked at Marinette before giving her a small black box, covered in red swirls and small glitter. Marinette took it from Juleka, confused. “What's this for?”

Juleka smiled, “I got them from a friend but I think they suit you better.”

Marinette opened the box and gasped, inside were two beautiful ruby earrings. They were circular, about the size of a dime. A little big for Marinette's tastes but she couldn't deny they were gorgeous. She looked up at Juleka and shook her head, “I can't take these.”

Juleka smiled and held Marinette's other hand. “They're not my style. I prefer purple and Rose likes pink the best. But you, red suits you the best. Please take them and be careful with them. People say that rubies give their owner a clear mind, increased concentration and motivation. I'm sure that you would like some of that.”

Marinette smiled and hugged Juleka. “Thank you. I'll take good care of them.” She took the earrings out of the boxes and put them on, feeling the heavy weight of them on her ears before feeling her mind spin a bit. She suddenly had that same cold feeling as before but it quickly passed as it came. She looked at Juleka before snapping out of. “Well we should go and make sure we don't lose any classmates to the lake.”

Juleka nodded and watched as Marinette grabbed her backpack from the floor. Juleka looked at the earrings as a thought came to mind, rubies bring a sense of power. Juleka let the thought leave her mind, it wasn't time to think about the future. She followed Marinette, smiling at how bright her smile was. Marinette would be fine.

Marinette and Juleka finally reached the lake, watching as everyone were swimming in the lake with their clothes on. Marinette put her hands to her mouth, “Hey! What happened here?”

Everyone looked at Marinette with a sheepish look on their faces. Alya climbed up on Nino's shoulders and waved at Marinette, not noticing the huge blush on Nino's face. 

“Girl you just in time to play chicken with us!”

Marinette made her way to the edge of the lake while Juleka walked to where Rose was. Marinette watched as Alix climbed on Ivan's back, roaring cutely. “Chicken?”

Alya made her game face, “Yeah girl. I try and push Alix down and she does the same. Loser has to give Chloe her morning coffee.”

Marinette made a face and Alya laughed, “Exactly. You want to play?”

Marinette shook her head, “I'll pass. I'll just sit on the side and sketch. The winners can also be the first ones to use the towels I brought as well as have first go at the eclairs I brought for dinner.”

Everyone gasped at the mention of eclairs, Marinette's family only made eclairs on special occasions since they were made with some weird but delicious ingredients that unfortunately, were seasonal items. Marinette smirked, “The eclairs are made with a wild rose cream that Mother had roses shipped from her mother's garden in China. Papa also made us lavender eclairs with some expensive lavender. Have fun fighting.”

Marinette smiled as everyone processed the sudden information before Alix launched herself at Alya, Ivan barely catching up with her. Alya's back arched, her hands catching Alix's and pushed back. Marinette knew Alya had the strength of ten elephants but Alix was quicker. She wondered who would win as she took off her shoes and let her feet go into the water. She sighed at how cool the water was, very refreshing as the sun was beating down on her. Her finger absentmindedly brushed over her new earring, as she looked at her phone. She opened her camera app and looked at the earrings. They looked so well against her skin and to tell the truth, they gave Marinette a sense of safety, for a lack of words. 

She leaned back on both hands, phone in lap and sighed. She didn't feel like drawing, the summer dress still unfinished in her book. Inspiration wasn't hitting her at all. She kicked at the water lightly, suddenly feeling out of place. What was she doing here? Sure she was with her friends but she wondered if she was going to see any of them during the summer. Sometimes Marinette felt so isolated even though she had her friends around her. She closed her eyes, knowing that she was worrying for nothing. Alya would always get her out of her house and into some fun adventures. She took a deep breath and everything was better. She could hear the birds chirping and giggled as they sounded like they were saying 'receipt, receipt'. Such business birds.

She felt someone sit down next to her and she opened her eyes, seeing Nathanael next to her. His eyes looked concerned but her smiled stopped him from asking any questions. He smiled back and held out a flower for Marinette, a cute yellow flower from the flower valley they had came from. He put it in her hair, making her blush.

“You should always smile. You always look pretty smiling.”

Marinette's stomach twisted, “Thanks Nathanael but...” but I don't like you the way you like me back....Nathanael heard the unspoken words and nodded.

“I know. I've known for a while. But I want you to know that I'm still your friend and I'll always be here to listen to anything you have to get off your chest. I want to help you in any way I can. My home is always open to you.”

Marinette brushed away the tears that were forming and hugged Nathanael, “Thank you.” Thank you for being here. Thank you for staying my friend. 

Nathanael hugged back. Of course.

They pulled back from each other and smiled. Marinette was about to ask Nathanael about his sketches when shouts were heard. Marinette and Nathanael turned to face the noise and saw that Alix was punching the air in victory, Alya was smacking Nino (lightly) on the shoulder, moaning about 'how could he drop her like that!'. Marinette chuckled, “Shall we go and find out what happened?”

Nathanael shook his head, “I'll stay here, you go.” Marinette nodded and slipped her feet out of the water and put her socks back on, ignoring the water and shoving her feet back into her sneakers. She pocketed her phone and made her way over. “So how did Alix and Ivan win?”

Alya crosses her arms and pouted, “Nino couldn't hold me up anymore and collapsed, the weakling.”

Nino just put his head in the water in embarrassment while Alix slapped Ivan's back, “Dropped her like a rock and did you hear his voice? 'Alya I can't! I just can't anymore!' Heh so dramatic.”

Marinette laughed and patted Nino as he came up for air, “It's ok. Alya is pretty heavy.”

Alya made a screeching noise and Marinette made one back, “You are heavy! Don't you remember when we were sitting on that bench and your butt broke it?”

Alya waved her hands around, “You know that bench was totally rotten on my side!”

“Sure. Now come on guys, it's about 4 and by the time we get back to the campsite, it will be 5.”

Groans were heard but everyone got out of the water and gathered the stuff they left on the grass. She made sure nobody left anything behind before pointing in the direction of camp. “That way!” 

The walk back to camp seemed shorter than when they first set out and Marinette was grateful. She was starting to get a little hunger and if she was a little bit hungry, everyone else was sure to be as well. The campsite was silent when they got back, sun slightly setting. They looked around and found Chloe asleep on a lawn chair (Marinette wondered where Chloe got it before shaking her head) and Kim was mixing something in a bowl with some gloves on.

Marinette walked over to Kim, looking at what he was mixing. It was red and leafy and it smelled a bit sour. Marinette looked at Kim, “What is it?”

Kim put a leaf into his mouth, “It's kimchi, spicy fermented napa cabbage. Want some?”

Marinette shook her head and Kim just kept eating his kimchi. She chuckled at how cute he looked as he eat before putting her fingers to her mouth and whistling loudly, waking up Chloe. 

“Alright guys, dry up and get changed. We need to make dinner and make the fire stronger. Girls do dinner and Guys fix the fire. Break!”

Marinette started pulling out pots and pans, waiting as the other girls were getting changed. She looked over the food and nodded to herself, they had the ingredients to make a nice soup and salad as well as some grilled fish. She went ahead and grabbed a small plastic baggie and poured different spices into it, making a dry rub for the fishes. Sabrina was the first one fished and started cutting veggies, making nice small bites. Marinette smiled, she didn't know Sabrina was good at cooking. She handed a water bottle to Sabrina, who emptied it into a pot and added the vegetables. Alya came out of nowhere and started adding small chunks of beef as well as spices. Rose and Juleka grabbed the fishes and took over for Marinette, adding the rub to the fishes. Chloe was even adding small portions of hot dog to the soup. Having nothing to do, she tapped her cheek before a idea came to mind. 

She grabbed some fruit concentrates she had brought on a whim and a bottle of soda, intent on making some delicious punch for everyone. She grabbed a pitcher and put in some orange and berry fruit concentrates, along with the soda. It tasted sweet and tangy, almost right but it was missing something. She looked around before finding a random pineapple. She looked at Nino, who shrugged and pointed to Rose, who smiled. Marinette shook her head and moved on, chopping up the pineapple into small bites and throwing away the rind. Perfect. She set the pitcher to the side and made sure the fire was stable and burning safely, they started cooking the food over it. Within minutes, the small of delicious food roamed the air. Marinette was briefly worried about wild animals but she had assured that the largest animal around were deer. 

Marinette found herself playing with earrings again as she waited for the food to cook. She glanced at everyone, one by one. Nino and the other guys were talking about some new television show, with Alix occasionally chiming in with information. Juleka and Rose were talking to Mylene about some new alternative band that was playing in a couple of weeks. Chloe was whispering into Sabrina's ear, throwing small glances at Kim. Marinette wondered what happened between them while they were all gone but whatever it was, it didn't look like Kim confessed.

Marinette checked the food and found that it was done. She whistled again, “Food ready!”

This time, the rush wasn't has havoc like lunch time. Marinette was able to get her food with minimal hassle and thank to god it was delicious. Suddenly her stomach decided that she needed a lot of food and Marinette ate two large helpings of soup and salad. The punch tied everything together and everyone looked so full after 25 minutes of eating. Marinette decided to break the comfortable silence with the thought of dessert.

“So are the winners ready for their dessert or are they full?”

Alix and Ivan straightened up, Alix made grabby hands at Marinette. “Give. Me.”

Chloe and Kim looked confused as Marinette pulled out a big box from her backpack. Alya filled them in as Marinette opened the box for everyone to see the beautiful pastries. She held out the box for Alix and Ivan, “Go ahead and choose, rose or lavender eclairs.”

Alix choose rose and Ivan chose lavender and once they got theirs, Marinette went around the group. Everyone else got rose eclairs except Juleka, Mylene and Sabrina. Marinette didn't bother grabbing an eclair, still full from eating dinner. She knew that she had macaroons back at Chloe's hotel and she would rather wait for them. But she loved seeing the ecstasy on everyone's face as they ate their eclair. Once everyone finished eating, they played a small game of rock, paper, scissors to see who would clean up. In the end Nino, Alix and Sabrina lost. Marinette was thankful that she could go and rest in her tent, feeling a little tired from the hike. 

She changed into a comfortable pair of black yoga pants and a long sleeved red shirt, matching her earrings. She pulled Alya aside, 

“I'm a bit tired. I'm probably going to hit the hay. You're in charge ok?”

Alya nodded, “Leave it to me. Go sleep, you've certainly done enough for today.”

Marinette nodded and let out a sigh of relief. She climbed back into her tent and climbed into her sleeping back, her eyes heavy. She started to drift off, not knowing her earrings were glowing subtly.

Marinette never really remembered her dreams. They were always a blur to her but this dream was different. She could see this beautiful woman, dirty and trapped in a cage. Her eyes were so sad and Marinette could feel as if she was looking right into Marinette's soul. She could see the woman talking but couldn't hear anything. The women smiled sadly before pulling out a necklace, showing it to her. It was in the shape of butterfly, with a small pearl in the middle. The woman reached out to Marinette and suddenly the necklace was in her hands. Marinette looked at the necklace before looking back at the woman but she was gone and instead, in her place, was a beautiful human. She was covered in various shades of red and had gorgeous glittering shimmery red wings. She waved her hand and suddenly Marinette heard her speak.

_Soon. Prepare. Hold onto that necklace my Ladybug._

And then Marinette could see only black. Was she still dreaming? She could hear other voices now, her body shaking. Her eyes opened and she saw Alya there, looking worried.

“Hey are you ok? I heard you talking as I walked by.”

Marinette felt something in her hand but she didn't move. She coughed a bit before nodding to Alya, “Yeah I'm fine, just a weird dream.”

Alya smiled, “Well try and dream about the resort. I can't wait to get into that spa Chloe was talking about.”

Marinette smiled, “Yeah I know huh. Well good night.”

Alya left her tent and Marinette hesitated before looking at her hand, finding that same butterfly necklace that was in her dreams. What was going on? Who was that lady in the cage and who was that very pretty lady? Marinette suddenly had an epiphany. The sensations that had been happening to her, it hadn't been just her stomach. Could this be magic? She knew magic didn't exist but what else could this be? She looked at the necklace again and felt such sadness.

What was going on?


End file.
